How to Prevent RV Tires Dry Rot Like an Expert? – Read Our 7 Tips

Cracking in tires is often called dry rot or sidewall cracking. A small crack can open up in the tire and cause it blowout. It can even cause a tire to rip open. This makes dry rot dangerous. That explains why people want to prevent it as much as possible and treat it when they can in order to prevent it from getting worse.

You need to address dry rot as soon as you see it, and hopefully, before you’re left stranded on the side of the road.

Why Do RV Tires Crack?

It is typically caused by the aging of the tire. It can be caused by accelerated wear of the tire, such as when it is exposed to oxidation and sunlight that break down the material faster than it would if properly sheltered.

There are ways to prevent RV tires from cracking and minimize the odds of a catastrophic failure.

01. Don’t Set Yourself Up for Failure

One way to protect yourself from dry rot is to replace old tires with new tires. If you buy used tires, even tires that have hardly been driven on will have experienced the gradual weakening of the material due to the passage of time. Every tire is at the end of its life by ten years of age.

Never try these tires

Never buy tires that have obvious signs of aging like fine cracks in the tread and sidewall. And don’t think that a thick tread will protect you from failure. It is already there, so it can only get worse.

When you ask a technician?

If you aren’t sure about how bad the problem is, ask a repair shop technician to inspect the tire and tell you if the tires are safe enough to take you home.

Know that if you see cracking, the tire’s life is already shortened; a tire with minor, premature cracking will at best last five years.

02. Inspect Your Tires Regularly

Check your tires regularly, including when the tires are sitting on a parked trailer. If you see signs of cracking in one spot, move the tires or roll the trailer so that you can inspect the rest of the best RV tires.

When tires crack in one spot, that is an obvious weak point, but you may be able to drive with the tires to your next stop.

If the tire cracks are evenly distributed around the tire, it is a failure waiting to happen – replace the tires immediately.

03. Protect Your Tires from Premature Aging

One simple tactic is shielding your tires from the sun. Park your RV in the shade. Store tires on a shelf in a storage building instead of sitting in a stack on the driveway.

Consider storing RV tires in an outbuilding instead of stacking them in your garage where they could be exposed to the exhaust from your vehicle.

04. Chemically Shield Your Tires

One strategy is applying chemicals to the tire that act like sunscreen, protecting the rubber from ultraviolent light that ultimately breaks down the material.

To do this effectively, wash the tires, dry them, and then apply the protective substance. If you rub down the tires and see solvents or black residue, the tires are already breaking down and need to be replaced.

05. Wash Your Tires Periodically

You should wash your tires periodically after they’ve been exposed to solvents, salt and oils, since these substances will age your tires.

Note that UV blockers need to be applied every few months, since they’ll eventually wear off or be washed off the tire. A good approach is applying these substances to the tires every time you wash your car.

At the same time, you should avoid using harsh cleaning chemicals on your car, since these chemicals will strip away the protective compounds and the outer layer of the rubber itself.

06. Minimize the Stress Your Tires Are Under

Your RV tires are stressed on daily bases simply because of the loads they support. You can reduce the stress your tires are under by not overloading your vehicle or trailer.

You should also avoid aggressive driving. Scraping the curb can damage the sidewall. Driving fast and breaking hard puts your tires under stress and wears them out faster than expected.

Conversely, driving the RV once in a while forces the tire material to work as expected – so taking the RV for a drive every month or so is good for both the engine and the tires.

07. Maintain Ideal Tire Pressure

You need to maintain the correct tire pressure in your RV tires to minimize the formation of cracks. Under-inflated tires are under a lot of stress.

The sidewalls could be damaged if you drive too long on underinflated tires, and the wear and tear will increase the odds of failure.

Summary

Tires will degrade because of the passage of time, pressure, environmental factors and general usage. You can take steps to slow down the aging and degrading of the tires, reducing the odds of the tire failing at a bad time.